• The housing deficit in Kenya stands at two million and continues to grow at a rate of about 200,000 units a year, according to UN-Habitat.
• Government roots for climate-friendly houses to fix the housing shortage.
Image: FILE
The government on Tuesday announced that the affordable housing programme is on course, with 130,000 units at different stages of construction.
Housing PS Charles Hinga told a virtual press conference that the government has cleared bottle-necks that had impeded its bid to have more affordable homes.
"We had big impediments such as land ownership in the country which is a systemic problem. The cost of construction is also very high," he said.
The government also endorsed climate-friendly houses to be the minimum standard in the country. The initial housing project did not adhere to climate-friendly standards.
Hinga said green buildings will help to directly meet 80 per cent of the Sustainable Development Goals.
He said the standard is 20 per cent less energy, less water and less embodied energy in materials, compared to a base case building, as estimated within the Excellence in Design for Greater Efficiencies (EDGE software).
Other challenges cited include policies that made it hard for the private sector to put their money into housing as well as the less than 25,000 mortgages.
“That is how the broken system was,” he said.
Hinga said the 130,000 units will be put up by private developers and more than 350,000 houses are to be put up in 4,300 acres set aside by the government in Portland.
“Tender closed on Thursday last week and we have got seven strong investors coming on board,” he said.
The PS said Park Road phase one and two are ready.
In January, some 228 units were handed over at Park Road to the government by the investor, with 1,730 units expected to be constructed.
Hinga said the titles for Park Road are, however, not ready to be issued to the potential homeowners and for banks to be able to charge mortgages.
“These are some of the delays we are saying… houses are ready but some processes are still not in place,” he said.
They hope that the challenge will be unlocked in two to three weeks.
Uhuru, under his Big Four Agenda, promised 500,000 affordable housing units by 2022 as one of the deliverables from his flagship projects. The housing deficit in Kenya is about 2 million and continues to grow at a rate of about 200,000 units a year, according to UN-Habitat.
UN-Habitat said there is a proliferation of informal settlements in urban areas, with 61 per cent of the urban population living in slums in overcrowded homes typically with only one room and inadequate ventilation.
Hinga said some 8,900 units are being built in Starehe, Shauri Moyo A and B, and 1,800 units in Jevanjee, Pangani (1,562 units), Clay City (3,362 units) and Migaa (1,800 units). Another 720 units are coming up in Ongata Rongai.
Edited by F'Orieny